2020-12-31 (2020 PONC Annual Report to the Mayor)

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This year, restrictions resulting from COVID-19 efforts to limit exposure have been challenging and at times awkward, but we have been able to continue our meetings online with remote public “attendance”. Despite not being able to travel together, or at all for some, we continued to perform individual site visits. Some commissioners provided an extenuating effort to compensate for those not able to participate in site visits, due to being high-risk status. In doing so, we have strived to expand the scale of site visits this year beyond any previous year, and thus expanded our role of due diligence in gathering and sharing our observations and impressions of the sites visited through verbal Site Visit Reports in our virtual online meetings. PONC acquisitions have expanded in utilizing Conservation Easements to stretch the value of PONC funds; continued cooperation between applicants, land trusts, and other funding sources contribution leveraged the buying power of the Fund. It has been observed that some applicants do send in suggestions to both the County’s Open Space Program and to the State Legacy Lands Conservation Program to create a funding partnership for more expensive acquisitions. Other matching funds sources and an occasional contribution are also utilized. The County should not be a sole source of funding towards these special places. The work of our Commission was possible with the support of our County staff. We are tremendously thankful for the excellent work of Commission Secretary, Maxine Cutler; Property Manager, Hamana Ventura; Deputy Corporation Counsel Ronald Kim (June 2020); and Deputy Corporation Counsel John Mukai. Again, we are thankful for the support of the County of Hawaii. It is a pleasure working with communities, non-profits, and other agencies to preserve Hawai’i’s cultural and natural resources. Aloha Nui Loa, Rick Warshauer, Chairman Commissioners (District): E. Koohan Paik Mander (1); Alex Kelepolo (2); Shelley Bee Allen Naungayan (3); Vice-Chair, Dr. Wayne Frank (4); “Rick” Warshauer, Chairman (6); Justin B. Lee (7) ; Kekaulike Tomich (8); and Susan Wells Fisher (9). Note: District 5 has been vacant for two years. Hawai’i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.